Being paid for a service =/= skipping on your taxes.
Obama announces $2M donation to Chicago summer jobs programs
- Thread starter LordOfLore
- Start date
Being paid for a service =/= skipping on your taxes.
Ah yeah Obama getting paid to give a speech is certainly just as bad as the Koch brothers undermining the political system.
Donating does. A lot of corporations give to charities for that reason.
Not that I think Obama is doing this.
jack_package_200
Banned
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
With this post you have no right to accuse anyone else of being simple.
SoRuffShoNuff
Member
The Bernie portion didn't make it obvious enough?
The syntax and lack of context doesn't make any sense to me.
EDIT: Is Obama donating $2 million to avoid filing taxes?
Crimson_Gold
Member
You do realize another reason why these big companies hold so much capital is due to the fact that many do not vote. Many are not politically active on any level. They buy their iPhones and cry foul when things don't​ go their way. Did they vote? Nope. You want your voice heard, keep speaking (voting). You also have to realize that donations come from people that work in various industries. You can't lump everyone that works in every industry together. There are people from both sides on Wall Street. To try to say otherwise would be foolish.
Politicians are people. Most want to just keep their jobs. If you made it important for them to reflect your values, believe me, they would. You can't get big money out of politics without putting people in power that advocate the removal of money from politics. Some on Wall Street want money out of politics. *Gasp* shocking I know
But ultimately, Obama isn't a politician. So why does this even matter
Gordon Shumway
Banned
Build shelter after the rain..
jack_package_200
Banned
Its not far off from some the ridiculous things we have seen.
boiled goose
good with gravy
Guess who were the highest donors to Obama in 2012? Not the kochs but...
Guess which doj established precedent for too big to prosecute?
Yaphett Kotto
Member
Out of office and is still doing more than Trump did these past months.
Was about to say.
Would never expect this coming from Van Jones.
Really?
GrizzleBoy
Banned
Do you not realise the irony of your own post?
In your own words, paid speeches CAN BE bad.
Which therefore means, paid speeches CAN BE good.
Yet nobody cares what the speech was about, who it was for, it what it it was meant to do.......you know, NUANCE.
You start your post berating an alleged lack of nuance, and end it with an over simplified false equivalency of the Koch brothers who are known influential shit stains conflated with a former president who is passionate about healthcare, giving a speech about healthcare........
The final irony is that the people you are accusing of lacking nuance, are calling out or serving the crow to people who made posts showing a lack of nuance, like yours, in the other thread.
So you're telling me Obama is a shill?
That's why I said it's more complex than that. I fed you a simple paragraph that even a 12 year old can understand.
Why do you think people don't vote? Because many people realize that their politicians are no longer representing them. People didn't suddenly stop voting one day. It's been a slow process as more and more people have been getting disenfranchised by big money in politics.
So again, it didn't start with people not voting but with corporations smashing money into the system.
And Obama holds enormous sway over his party so t does matter. Saying otherwise is just naive
Angelus Errare
Banned
Would never expect this coming from Van Jones.
After he fellatio'ed Trump on CNN for popping an adderall and reading from a teleprompter, this isn't shocking at all.
SlickShoesRUCrazy
Member
No, just a better man. That's all.
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
I have a feeling some idiots will still expect Obama to set the pace for Dems 20 years from now (if we're still alive)
monchi-kun
Member
Nobody wants to live in a complex world. Everything is zero sum. The only way I can win is if you lose....etc.
Cesare Borgia
Banned
Would never expect this coming from Van Jones.
This is disgusting, coming from someone who Obama once defending. Throwing away friendships and respect in order to build clout on a failing news network. Laughable. I loathe disloyalty.
There's nothing wrong with playing "the game." If that's how you make your money, more power to you. But Jones has gone too fucking far. Reminds me of how ESPN convinces former athletes to shit on their former teammates or coaches in order to help brand them as an "independent" voice. Get the fuck outta here...
Omegasquash
Member
Dude can't even do a good thing without being called to task for it.
Maybe he believes what he says.
Just needs to be White. Then magically his wealth would be a non-issue.
Crimson_Gold
Member
I can comprehend everything in your argument. Please don't insult my intelligence like that. I did not question yours. I merely presented a different issue that also needs to be addressed. Your refusal to acknowledge that the problem is exacerbated by he political inaction of many, does not make me stupid. It just means you don't want to accept what I said.
Furthermore, you didn't speak to the fact that many that work in the financial sector are against money in politics. Many that work for corporations are against money in politics. Money in politics doesn't just stop because you wish it away. You actively vote it out. To lose heart in the system is easy. To sit on your ass and complain is easy. To go out and vote for changes takes effort.
Are there active attacks on effort? Sure. There's voter suppression through id laws and intimidation. There are locations with no early voting. There's all sorts of stuff. So how do we tackle that? We get funds. Where are the funds? In communities and companies. Many in the communities don't have funds to spare. We can find ways to get them from companies, but then you're painted as an impure shill. So we are back at square one. The company gives the money to the politician that campaigns to the active voter to whom he or she becomes beholden. All while someone stands on a soapbox and screams how pure they are. They'd never take money from Wall Street
shadow_shogun
Member
To be fair, every commentator on both sides of aisle gave Trump a hand that night, but yeah, Van has been slipping as of late. I guess it's safe to say he's in that "sunken place" everyone's been accusing him of being in.
EatinOlives
Member
Especially the ones saying "he's making too much money rabble rabble!" and conveniently could never articulate how much was "too much".
What an embarrassment of a thread that was.
Vincent Alexander
Member
Came here for all the wall street jokes. Leaving satisfied.
GrizzleBoy
Banned
He could shoot someone in the middle of fifth avenue and not lose voters!
He could tic-tac twiddly wack women whenever he wanted, and they'd let him do it because he's famous.
Must be nice.
Was being a little facetious.
Would never expect this coming from Van Jones.
He's really turned heel, hasn't he? What a tool.
Wet Bloodfart
Banned
I can't manage to muster giving a shit about Obama receiving that amount of money for a speech, much like how I don't care that Romney did the same shit.
When you really think about it, it's amazing how "good" Obama had to be during his presidency. Every little thing he would be raked over the coals for. Trump has no accountability at all. Wonder why?
boiled goose
good with gravy
Was government under Obama affected by Wall street money and influence? Definitely.
Do I have a problem with politicians making bank by receiving paid speeches in 100k chunks or getting cushy fake consulting jobs in industries they regulated? definitely.
It's a system wide problem. An individual mind and their motivations are impossible to assess. You have to look at results in aggregate.
Dude's still being raked over the coals, no need for past tense.
boiled goose
good with gravy
Trump definitely gets away with ridiculous shit. It's unbelievable.
Snowybreak
Member
So you're going to double down on painting any sort of monetary payment from corporations as inherently negative, because it doesn't matter where the money is actually going, it just matters where it came from, right?
Crimson_Gold
Member
Wrong thread
I should point out all money has traces of cocaine on it.
Snowybreak
Member
Hehehehe. Oh trust me, I know.
boiled goose
good with gravy
Did I say any payment? I specified two examples I find problematic. Come on, let's at least keep it honest if you want to discuss.
Omegasquash
Member
Yup. Gets money for a speech, donates 5x that to help younger folks access opportunity, and gets ragged on for it.
The election night "whitelash" knocked him silly.Would never expect this coming from Van Jones.
No. You're being misleading.
He was ragged on it for getting money from a speech. No one is tagging him for donating.
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
The only proper course of action is for him to refuse all money and give away what he has until he's middle class bracket or lower.
Now of course I'm not going to give any money or time to help
People aren't trying to hear it man. Speaking into the void at this point.
and for the record before people start quoting me: I think A LOT of people upset at Obama for that speech were disingenuous with their critique, but that doesn't mean there isn't any valid critique to be had.
Snowybreak
Member
Your first post in this thread is comparing Obama receiving money from a speech and then putting it into a summer jobs program to help low-income people as the same thing as what the Koch brothers do.
You want me to be 100% honest, when you yourself are using a dishonest argument.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Nice. Thats a generous donation.
Also he can continue to accept book deals, but the entirety of the manuscript has to read:
"i am sorry for taking money i should be doing all this for free"
over and over for 350+ pages.